White House calls for cease-fire after Flight MH17

The White House is calling for a complete investigation into the downed Malaysian Airlines flight in eastern Ukraine and a cease-fire between Russia, Ukraine and pro-Russia separatists.

“It is critical that there be a full, credible, and unimpeded international investigation as quickly as possible,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement late Thursday. “We urge all concerned – Russia, the pro-Russian separatists, and Ukraine – to support an immediate cease-fire in order to ensure safe and unfettered access to the crash site for international investigators and in order to facilitate the recovery of remains.”

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Obama statement on Malaysia Airlines crash

Breaking news: MH17

While in New York City on Thursday evening, President Barack Obama spoke with Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss the crash. He also held a call with senior members of his national security team, including CIA Director John Brennan and White House chief of staff Denis McDonough. The Obama administration officials discussed “ongoing efforts to support the Ukrainian government and a prompt international investigation into what took place,” according to a White House pool report. Obama also directed the team “to continue offering whatever assistance is necessary to advance the international effort to determine what happened.”

The commercial plane carrying 298 people was shot down between the Ukrainian and Russian border Thursday and officials and separatists both have denied responsibility, according to sources quoted by The Associated Press. The Boeing 777 was grounded in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, about 25 miles from the Russian border.

“Armed Forces of Ukraine did not take action against any airborne targets,” Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko said, according to the Associated Press. Ukrainian officials have blamed pro-Russian separatists for shooting down the plane and Poroshenko called it an “act of terrorism.”

Pro-Russian separatists, though, have denied responsibility, according to the news agency.

The event is sure to escalate tensions between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Barack Obama, who announced a new round of sanctions against Russian businesses and individuals Wednesday.

In a statement, Putin didn’t accuse Ukraine of shooting the plane down, but pinned the responsibility for the crash on that country. “This tragedy would not have happened if there were peace on this land, if the military actions had not been renewed in southeast Ukraine,” Putin said, according to a Kremlin statement. “And, certainly, the state over whose territory this occurred bears responsibility for this awful tragedy.”

The FAA on Thursday evening issued a notice that it has officially prohibited U.S. flight operations over eastern Ukraine’s airspace, including the Simferopol and Dnepropetrovsk flight information regions.

Anton Gerashenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, said Thursday that the Malaysia Airlines plane flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was hit by a Buk launcher missile while it was flying at an altitude of 33,000 feet.

The White House also confirmed that Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin briefly discussed the plane crash during a phone conversation on Thursday morning. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Putin told Obama of initial reports about the incident. The call was centered on the previous day’s uptick in sanctions.

At a press briefing Thursday afternoon, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that the department is “closely monitoring the situation.” She said that she has no confirmed details about the cause of the crash or any casualties, including whether there were Americans on board, and if so how many. She added that the department is in “close touch with the Ukrainian authorities.”